Find out about the Sensible Policing Act and how we can change the laws in our province to decriminalize cannabis possession as the first step towards a sensible and legally regulated system.

THE SENSIBLE POLICING ACT

Sensible BC is calling upon the provincial government to pass the Sensible Policing Act.Elections BC has confirmed that the Sensible Policing Act is within BC jurisdiction and suitable for a referendum.

The Sensible Policing Act has two main parts.

Part one – Decriminalize cannabis possession for adults

The first part of the Sensible Policing Act is an amendment to the BC Police Act, which redirects all police in the province from using any police resources, including member time, on investigations, searches, seizures, citations, arrests or detentions related solely to simple possession of cannabis.

This section applies to all police in the province, essentially decriminalizing the simple possession of cannabis in BC. It doesn’t impact on any of the laws around trafficking, possession for the purposes of trafficking, or cultivation.

To deal with minors, the Sensible Policing Act also adds cannabis to the section of the BC Liquor Control Act which covers minors in possession of alcohol. This will enable a police officer to confiscate cannabis from a minor, in exactly the same manner and with the same penalties as for alcohol.

Part two – Work towards a legally regulated system for cannabis

The second part of the Sensible Policing Act formally calls upon the federal government to remove cannabis from the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, or to give British Columbia a “Section 56″ exemption, so that our province can start legally taxing and regulating cannabis in a manner similar to alcohol and tobacco.

This section also mandates the provincial government to launch a public commission, which will hold hearings to study and report into how the province will implement a taxed and regulated cannabis system once the federal government allows it.